Receptacle making method and apparatus



JulyZ-O, 1937. A. H. SQHMIDTKE 8 RECEPTACLE MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed Marchv 6, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 20, 1937.. A. H. SCHMIDTKE 2,087,482

RECEPTACLE MAKING" METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed March 6, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2- July 20, 1937.

A. H. SCHMIDTKE 2,087,482 RECEPTACLE MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed March 6, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 20, 1937. A. H. SCHMIDTKE 2,087,482

'HECEPTACLE MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed March 6, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATE PAT! OFFIE RECEPTACLE MAKING METHOD AND APPARATUS Albert H. Schmidtke, St. Joseph, Mich, assignor to St. Joseph Iron Works, St. Joseph, Mich, a corporation of Michigan 6 Claims.

My invention relates to the manufacture of dish like receptacles of the character usually made from paper and commonly employed in stores for dispensing butter and other commodities, and the invention of this application, which is a division of Albert H. Schmidtke Patent No. 2,016,562 granted October 8, 1935, relates to a method of and means for simplifying and accelerating the production of such receptacles.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple apparatus and an improved method whereby tapered or flaring walled receptacles may be made from paper blanks or the like at an extremely rapid rate; to insure uniform accuracy in manufacture, as well as unusual strength and serviceability; to provide a machine which is capable of withstanding long continued use at high speed without adjustments, replacements or repairs; to form the receptacle so that there is no excessive strain on or possibility of injury to or weakening of the blank or receptacle, even at high speed; and avoid any material or unequal pulling strains on the blank that might cause deformity of or imperfections in the finished product; these and other objects being accomplished in the manner and with the apparatus described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically mechanisms which are shown in my aforesaid application, Serial No. 659,689, and may be used in preparing and supplying the blanks for the present machine;

Fig. 2 is a side view of my receptacle forming and stacking mechanism with portions of the frame and base broken away;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of my folding and stacking mechanism taken on the line 33 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line i4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figs. 3 and 4;

Figs. 6 and 7 are views of the bottom and top sides respectively of a section of a paper strip in the form of a connected series of blanks, the sides of the blanks shown in Fig. 6 being at the inside of the fiinished dish and the sides shown in Fig. 7 being at the outside thereof; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the finished receptacle as produced by the forming mechanism of the present application.

The dish or receptacle that is produced by the receptacle making device described herein is like that shown in Fig. 8 and has a rectangular bottom ill (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5) and flaring or tapered end and side walls H and [2 respectively the latter of which have tab like extensions H3 at the ends which are turned inwardly against and adhesively secured to the outer faces of the 5 end walls H.

For making these receptacles, separate blanks like those shown in connected series in Figs. 6 and 7 are employed which have a rectangular bottom forming portion iii with integral end wall forming portions H and integral side wall forming portions !2 and score lines It and i5 respectively between the end wall portions N and the bottom H] and the side wall portions Mi and said bottom to facilitate bending into the receptacle form, and the side wall portions l2 also have end extensions or tabs 53 beyond score lines 56 which facilitate bending these tabs inwardly as required in making the receptacles. The side of the blank shown in Fig. 6 and which is at the inside of the finished receptacle is preferably paramned except at the areas H where the tabs ii are eventually glued thereto, although these areas may also be paraffined if a glue or adhesive is employed which will satisfactorily ad- 25 here to parafiined surfaces, and the opposite side of the blank which is shown in Fig. '7, has the areas l8 of the end wall portions i i coated with an adhesive or glue which must be in suitable condition at the 'timeof the receptacle forming operation to adhere upon compression to the areas I! of the end tabs I3 For making the receptacles from these blanks, a reciprocating plunger type of machine is preferably employed, and the blanks are fed suc- 3r cessively in suitable timed relation so that each time the plunger is retracted a blank is positioned in front of the plunger with the side of the blank that is shown in Fig. '7 presented to the plunger, and upon the advance movement of the plunger, the blank is propelled through a folding zone and shaped on the plunger in the receptacle or container form and then compressively rammed into the previously formed container to become a part of an accumulating stack. 7 This machine, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 comprises a former housing I9 which is mounted on a pedestal 26 between side frame members 2! of the blank preparing and supplying mechanism, both the pedestal and side frame members being supported on a base 22, and the former housing i9 is preferably inclined upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 and has spaced side walls 23 with longitudinal slots 24 providing ways for a reciprocable carriage 25 which, as shown in Fig. 4, has spaced front and rear rollers 26 and 21 respectively operating' in the slots 24.

A form 28 corresponding in size and shape to the interior of the finished dish is fixed on the forward end of the carriage 25, said form having top and bottom faces 29 against which the end walls of the dish are folded and side faces 30 against which the side walls of the dish are folded.

A shaft 3|, which is operated from any suitable source of power and in proper timed relation with the feeding of the blanks is journaled in one of the side frames 2! and has a crank dish 32 thereon with a crank pin 33 upon which the end of a link 34 is pivoted, the forward end of this link being pivoted on the shaft 35 which extends from side to side of the carriage 25 and. has the front rollers 29 mounted on the ends.

Blanks from which the receptacles are to be formed are fed through the open top of the housing l9 to the position indicated at 36 in Fig. 3 at a place substantially midway between the ends of the range of movement of the form 28, the side walls 23 of the housing l9, at and beyond the place where the blank 36 is admitted, being provided with lining members 31, and at their rear ends these lining members 31 are provided on their inner faces with upper and lower cleats 38 in front of which the blank 36 is fed and by which it is held upright in position to be properly engaged by the form 28.

Immediately beyond the location of the blank 36 are upper and lower folding ribs 39 which are located midway between the side walls 23 of the former housing and are arranged so that as the blank 36 is moved upwardly by the form 28, they will fold the end portions I l of the blank against the respective upper and lower faces 29 of the form. The ends of these ribs 39 that are next to the blank receiving position have the inner corners rounded as indicated at 40 to facilitate the folding operation, and these rib ends also co-operate with the cleats 38 to direct the incoming blank to the proper position in the former housing.

Immediately beyond the folding ends of the ribs 39 the lining members 31 of the former housing side walls 23 are provided with upper and lower side folders M which are arranged respectively above and below the slots 24 and these side folders have curved forward edges 42 arranged so that just after the ends I I of the blank 36 are folded down against the end faces 29 of the form, the side portions l2 of said blank are folded inwardly against the side faces 30 of the form.

Just beyond the place where the side folders 4| are effective to fold the side portions of the blank 36 there are located at the top and bottom of the former housing and at opposite sides of the ribs 39, right and left hand folding plates 43 and 44 the inner faces 45 of which slope from the line 46 (see Fig. 4) forwardly and inwardly, and these folding plates 43 and 44, after the turning in of the carton sides l2 are engaged by the extensions or end tabs [3 of the sides l2 and as these extensions orend tabs I3 move along the deflector faces 45 said extensions or tabs are turned inwardly against the end wall portions ll of the blank and as the latter have the glued areas l8, the portions I! of these extensions 13 are stuck to the outer sides of said end wall portions H The folded blank is then pushed by the form 28 beyond the ends of the formers 39, 4| 43 and 44 into a rectangular passageway 41 of a reduced portion 48 of the former housing which said passageway is slightly wider than the distance between the opposed side folders All and also slight- 1y higher than the distance between the top formers 43, 44 and bottom formers 4344 and the rear end portions of the former ribs 39 so that as the folded blank is pushed into the receiving end of the passageway 41 said folded blank expands slightly both transversely and longitudinally so that the edges thereof engage with the rear edges of the formers 39, 4|, 43 and 44 and the folded dish is thus prevented from accidental retraction with the former 28.

The passageway 41, which is of a size to snugly confine the dishes is also of sufficient length to accumulate a stack therein which is gradually moved forwardly therethrough into a dish holding extension 49 consisting of four corner angles 50 which are secured together by spaced U-shaped straps 5! to form a skeleton frame of rectangular cross section'with angular corner seats for the corners of the dishes, the inner end of this skeleton frame which is substantially horizontal, being curved downwardly and forming a continuation of the passageway 41, of the former housing.

For supporting the skeleton frame 49 a bracket 52 is secured to the pedestal 20 and extends outward under the straps 5| which are secured to the outer end of this bracket 52.

Thus in the present machine the accumulation of the dishes in the passageway 4 offers a resistance to the admission of folded blanks into the receiving end of said passageway, with the result that the dishes are nested snugly and not only co-operate to retain their proper dish form but also by their compact relation serve to hold the glued portionsfirmly together until the glue has set.

As the dishes accumulate in the frame 49 of the present machine a batch thereof is grasped by the attendant from time to time and slid outwardly through the openend of the frame 49.

which receives paraffin from the paraiiin receptacle 66 through the roll 6| and has the surface formed to apply the paraffin to the lower surface of the paper strip 53 leaving areas I! (see Fig. 6) uncoated to facilitate adhesion of the end tabs I3 thereto in the subsequent receptacle forming operation.

From the paraffining mechanism the paper strip 53 then passes over a guide roll 62 to the cutting and scoring rolls 63 and 64 which notch the edges of the strip as at 65 and transversely slit same as at 66 (see Figs. 6 and '7) to provide successive blanks which are maintained in connected relation merely by the narrow connecting portions 61 of the paper at the ends of the slit 66, and these rolls 63 and 64 also score each blankportion along the lines I4 and I5 and provide each blank with the four slits 68.

From the cutting and scoring rolls 63 and 64, the connected blanks are then fed to the gluing rolls 69 and 10, the upper one 690i which is provided with suitable raised portions to which glue is supplied from the glue receptacle H through the rolls T2 and 13 and by which glue is applied to the areas iii of the connected blanks after which the strip of connected blanks is directed downwardly between the rolls i l and I5 which operate at a sulhciently higher rate of speed than that of the paper strip and in suitable timed relation to the plunger 28 of the folding mechanism and are located in proper position to separate the paper strip into separate blanks which are fed successively into proper position as indicated at 35 in front of the retracted plunger 28 so that the latter forms a blank into a receptacle upon each advancing movement thereof.

While I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, I am aware that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for making flaring walled containers from adhesively coated blanks, the combination of a folder housing with an elongated chamber therein and guides extending along the sides of the chamber, a plunger supported on said guides and reciprocable in the chamber, and fixed folding members extending longitudinally in the housing between the ends of the guides and co-operable with the plunger to fold a blank thereon.

2. In an apparatus for making flaring walled containers from adhesively coated blanks, the combination of a folder housing with an elongated chamber therein, guideways along the sides of the chamber, a carriage in the chamber and operable on the guideways, a tapered form on the carriage, and fixed folding members extending longitudinally in the housing between the ends of the guideways and co-operable with the plunger to fold a blank thereon.

3. In an apparatus for making flaring walled containers from adhesively coated blanks, the combination of a folder housing having an elongated chamber extending therethrough and pro vided with an accumulator section at one end, a transverse crank shaft mounted at the other end of the housing, a plunger operable by said crank shaft to reciprocate in the said chamber to and from the accumulator section, and fixed folding members extending longitudinally in the chamber around and outside the path of movement of the plunger, said accumulator having stationary internal straight walls in substantial.

alignment with the longitudinal folding members.

4. The method of making flaring walled containers which comprises moving adhesivelycoated container making blanks forwardly in a continuous uninterrupted movement, gradually folding corner portions of said blanks to container forming position during said continuous uninterrupted movement of the blank, and continuing said uninterrupted movement of the folded blank to compressive nesting engagement with a stack of nested containers.

5. The method of making flaring walled containers which comprises supplying container forming blanks successively to a starting position for folding, moving adhesively-coated container making blanks forwardly in a continuous uninterrupted movement, folding each blank in container form and gradually folding corner portions thereof to a wall connecting position during said continuous uninterrupted movement of the blank from said starting position, and continuing said uninterrupted movement of the folded blank to compressive nesting engagement with a stack of nested containers.

6. In an apparatus for making walled containers from adhesively-coated blanks, the combination of a stationary folder housing open at opposite ends, fixed parallel folder members extending longitudinally within the housing for folding the side Wall members of a blank when said blank is pushed through the housing and along the folder members, an accumulator chamber leading from the rear open end of the folder housing and having straight stationary interior longitudinal walls disposed as continuations of the active longitudinal faces of the folder members, a reciprocable form Working through the open front end of the folder housing to engage a blank and push it along the folder members with the edges of the blank in sliding engagement therewith, and means for reciprocating the form within the housing.

ALBERT H. SCHMIDTKE. 

